Hispanic Americans During The Civil War

Words: 1509
Pages: 7
Open Document
O'Donnell-Rosales, John. Hispanic Confederates. Genealogical Publishing Com, 2006 The Civil War. For many Americans this conflict evokes images of the storied battlefields of North and South and of dramatic changes in the lives of Americans of African and Anglo descent. Lesser known is the story of the people of Spanish ancestry who participated in this epic conflict and of the many battles that took place in the West, in areas of large Hispanic populations and strong Spanish heritage. The U.S. Civil War divided the nation and more than six million men saw combat. A significant number of Hispanic-Americans were impacted by the outbreak of the Civil War as a result of the Spanish colonial settlement of the Gulf Coast states and the Mexican …show more content…
Many of Spanish ancestry lived in the Gulf Coast region of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana-lands that had once been Spanish West Florida and Louisiana. This population represented a rich mixture of cultures and languages: French, Spanish, Caribbean, American Indian, African, German, and Anglo American. These "Creoles" were often well to do planters with plantations or established merchants with homes in the bustling ports of New Orleans and Mobile. Many held slaves. Others made their money through the cotton trade that relied on the "peculiar institution" of slavery. Part of the aristocracy of the region, these citizens joined their like-minded southern neighbors and actively fought to preserve their way of life. US Hispanics were patriotic Southerners and were among, if not the first to volunteer when their states seceded from the Union. To delve deeper into the topic of Hispanic Confederates, we could also seek information on Confederate Col. Santos Benavides and his Benavides Texas Cavalry. Not all Americans of Spanish ancestry lived in the South. Northern states also had significant Hispanic communities, and many of their members supported the Union cause. Most came from large urban centers like Philadelphia, New York, and Boston. In addition to large populations of Germans, Irish, and Eastern Europeans, these cities attracted immigrants from Spain, Portugal, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Mexico. Many of these newcomers sought to integrate themselves into the society of their new homeland but faced daunting racial prejudices. Serving in the uniform of a US soldier was the quickest and best way to reach their goal of becoming an "American." Some of the most dramatic fighting of the Civil War occurred on the high seas where Hispanics fought with valor in the navies of both sides. Dozens of Hispanic sailors served on Confederate vessels, helping in the dangerous task of breaking the Union
Show More

Related Documents: Hispanic Americans During The Civil War

Discuss The Role Of Minority Groups In The Civil War

The Civil War was one of the bloodiest wars in U.S. history. Numerous people sacrificed their lives for either the Union or the Confederacy. Minority groups played a significant role in this war because around 40% of the North were minority groups and about 30% of the South. During the Civil War, Black soldiers reassembled to the Union, Hispanics fought for both sides, and American Indians acted as scouts, all playing crucial roles in the outcome. One of the key groups were Black soldiers who joined…

Words 478 - Pages 2

Discrimination Against Hispanics

evidence of discrimination of hispanics. This is not equal its unfair and no one is doing anything about it. Why isn't anyone standing up? Where is the hispanics rights? Hispanics did everything for the U.S and this is what they repay them. Mexicans are being treated like a monster they did nothing wrong and deserve rights and freedom that a citizen has. Mexican-American civil rights are too little and that's a problem, there needs to be a solution out there. Hispanic civil rights was did not happen…

Words 1197 - Pages 5

Civil Rights Era Notes

Civil Rights Era Notes #1 Name:____________ The Civil Rights Movement: was a push for increased rights of all minorities but particularly African Americans. It was often marked by non­violent protests and marches. Significant legislation and Supreme Court decisions helped African Americans gain rights that had been promised but never realized. The Presidency LBJ ● ● ● ________________________ Assumed the presidency after the death of President __________________ and…

Words 550 - Pages 3

Factors Of Mexican American Politics In South Texas

would become an ambassador to the United Nations. 2) Gendered politics in South Texas represented a second factor inhibiting Beatrice involvement in civil rights protest over her husband’s wake. His region was not a place where Mexican American women commonly exercised a public voice in 1949, nor for that matter, anywhere else in the border Hispanic border zone on both sides of the Rio Grande. 3) The study defines the zone as stretching from Del Rio to Brownsville in the south and from Del Rio through…

Words 849 - Pages 4

Racial Disparity In Law Enforcement Research Paper

interactions between police and the public found that Black residents were more likely to be stopped by police than white or Hispanic residents, that Black and Hispanic residents were more likely to have multiple contacts with police than white residents, and that when police initiated an interaction, they were twice as likely to threaten or use force against Black and Hispanic residents than against white residents” (NACDL,2022). Racial disparity in law enforcement is an issue that has deep historical…

Words 1391 - Pages 6

Civic Engagement Definition

process include: civil disobedience, the strategies to overcome voting difficulties for minorities, boycotts affecting the economy, and…

Words 1889 - Pages 8

U. s. Supreme Court Essay

Daniella Brunner April 23, 2015 AP American History Mr. Visone My Lai Massacre ­ In 1968, in which American troops had brutally massacred innocent women and children in the village of My Lai, in South Vietnam. It also led to more opposition to the war in America. Watergate­ The events and scandal surrounding a break­in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in 1972. Led to revelations that White House staff had orchestrated it, and from there a string of illegalities were exposed…

Words 1254 - Pages 6

Japanese American Model Minority Group

The denial of civil rights among a marginalized group of people across the U.S has been an issue for equal rights and the extension of rights to many minority groups. One minority group that had a major issue in America were the Japanese Americans. This group has experiences injustice during World War II because they were placed in concentration camps and other institutions of the War Relocation Authority in the Western United States. This group of people inside the camps experiences a lack of inequality…

Words 894 - Pages 4

Cinco De Mayo, Dia De Los Muertos

states. As a matter of fact, sometimes people who do celebrate these holidays here in the states don’t even know the actual meaning behind them and only celebrate them as an excuse to party. Back on May 5th, 1862 the Mexicans had just beat the French during the Battle of Puebla. From that day forward,Cinco…

Words 1849 - Pages 8

The Role Of African Americans In The Civil Rights Movement

discrimination of a lot of minorities. African Americans were especially still being discriminated by other races and it caused depression and lack of confidence for African Americans to believe they have a bright future ahead of them. Not only was this group discriminated from society, but also the Hispanics, Native Americans, and Asians. One specified event for issue would have to be during the time of Martin Luther King Jr., who was an activist in the Civil Rights Movement. He was most famous for…

Words 340 - Pages 2